


Zutara Month 2017

by worldcrawler



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Zutara month 2017, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-02-09 20:37:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12896322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worldcrawler/pseuds/worldcrawler
Summary: Collection of drabbles and one-shots based on the prompts for Zutara Month 2017





	1. Amongst the Fire Lilies

**Day 1: Amongst The Fire Lilies**

 

“Why do Fire Lilies grow on water grandpa?”

“Ah. This is a good question.

It is because of the Fire Lily Fire Lady. We have a song about her;

 

Born from water, drawn to fire

Long may the Fire Lady reign

In the puddles of her footsteps

The Fire Lilies came to stay

Worry not oh little ones!

There will be no steam today

For we have known

The beauty shown

By Fire Lilies and Water Ladies

 

Flows around but deadly drown

Was the water that she brought

Giving life but burning flesh

Was the fire of her heart

And oh how the lady wept!

For how would home and love

Live as one

Under our Fire Nation sun

Without melting down?

 

— Oh Fire Lily Fire Lady

What will you wear?

Born of water, love of fire

With golden flame in hair…

Let us make you a fire crown

Worthy of your love

From fire lilies, fire lady:

Yes a Fire Lily Fire Crown for the Fire Lily Fire Lady

 

The Lady wept for years and years

Creating ponds and mighty lakes

And the spirits felt her pain

Oh behold! they came to make

The flower of the Fire Lily…

A flame upon the water

Roots diving deep

A resting place, for fish to sleep

Amongst the Fire Lily pond.

 

The flowers bloomed all at once

Setting water aflame

Agni has Spoken! With Tui and La!

And the Lady would remain!

And the dragons were reborn

In colours red and blue

Sent from Agni

For all to see

The power of the Fire Lily

 

— Oh Fire Lily Fire Lady

What will you wear?

Born of water, love of fire

With golden flame in hair…

Let us make you a fire crown

Worthy of your love

From fire lilies, fire lady:

Yes a Fire Lily Fire Crown for the Fire Lily Fire Lady

 

We remember, Fire Lady

How the Fire Lilies blackened

When you slipped into the spirit world

Never to come back.

But fear not!

For when she was buried

Deep in water

What came to keep her peace?

The Fire Lilies bloomed anew!

And crowd around her tomb

Lest we lose our memories

She lies forever amongst the Fire Lilies.”

 

“That’s just a silly song grandpa!”

“Do you want to argue with the spirits young one?!”

“What was her name then? The Fire Lily Fire Lady?”

“Master Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe, Fire Lady with Fire Lord Zuko. You might not know this but many of our songs are about them… Would you like to hear another one?”

“Yes.”

“Come, sit closer. This one is called Eternal Lovers - “

“Isn’t that about Oma and Shu?”

“Perhaps it is…. Perhaps it is…”


	2. Lunar Eclipse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara has two things on her mind: the possible assassination attempt during the lunar eclipse, and the undeniable feelings she had for the Fire Lord. The latter was far more worrying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the quality - this was written literally two or three sentences at a time while life got in my way... so I don't think it flows at all! But don't have time to rewrite it!

**Day 2: Lunar Eclipse**

 

They say that a Lunar Eclipse isn’t a huge event. They say you just lose your bending for a while and then it passes. But Katara had been apprehensive for weeks. She’d been there, at the North Pole when the Moon Spirit died… and she was not in a hurry to repeat the experience. It felt like part of her soul had been ripped out, like she was drowning and unable to breathe… no. If the Lunar Eclipse was one tenth of that she still would not like it.

To make matters worse, she was staying at the Fire Palace for official Southern Water Tribe business. She hadn’t realised until she hawky brought her a message from Sokka, telling her to be careful. And now she was here, again. She swallowed thickly and found her way outside to one of the palace’s many courtyards so she could feel that night’s moon and reflect on what she would do the following night. She would ask Zuko but things between them at been… off.

Katara angrily brushed away a tear. Every time she was at the Palace her and Zuko would be inseparable, and it hadn’t taken many moons for her to realise her feelings. Last time… last time she had thought - had hoped - that Zuko would reciprocate, would ask her to stay with him. Long nights talking in the gardens, sparring in the mornings, meetings during the days, dinners, teas, lunches… lingering touches and hitched breaths and… nothing. He had simply bid her farewell formally and left her to board her ship with the other dignitaries and leave.

“You know, there is no war now…” came Zuko’s rasping voice from the door to the courtyard. Katara stiffened further and took a deep breath. He could tell she was tense by her stance - but strangely, she wasn’t bending.

“There is no war in Ba Sing Se,” she mocked quietly in reply, turning to look at him. Zuko snorted.

“You think somebody is trying to harm you?” he guessed. “You can tell me Katara - I can deal with them…Why are you so on edge?”

He walked towards her, trying to read her expression in the moonlight, but Katara had it tightly under lock and key. Right. She would focus on the easier of the two things she had been thinking about - her would be assassin.

“No. But if there _were_ \- and there is no guarantee that there _isn’t_ \- then they would do it tomorrow night, during the lunar eclipse.”

“Oh.”

They stood in silence for a while.

“You will stay with me tomorrow night,” he murmured finally, nodding his head to himself. “I don’t want you separated from the guards and the palace. We won’t tell anybody but I’ll make sure to stick by you during the day as well. Then come to stay in my rooms at night.”

“Until the eclipse is over?” She asked, half hopefully, half bitterly. Zuko shot her a look of mild confusion.

“Yes. Until its over.”

 

* * *

 

The next day flew by in a whirl of duties and tension - clearly palpable from the Fire Lord and Master Katara. Their meetings were full of half spoken sentences and furtive glances into dark corners of the room, their easy manner from the previous trips gone completely, They dined together and staged Katara’s exit to her room, doubling back to go to Zuko’s instead.

And so they found themselves sitting across from one another sipping chamomile on silk cushions, listening carefully to the sounds of the night. It was not unfamiliar, but other times there would be laughter between them and an easy atmosphere. This time, Zuko’s dao swords lay by his side, and he wore his training gear, ready for action. Katara thought it was a little odd he kept the same clothes he had joined them in - he was the Fire Lord now, he could have any clothes he liked. But instead, he insisted on having these ones patched up over and over again. She tried to stifle a laugh at the memory of the painfully awkward boy who appeared to ask for their forgiveness at the Western Air Temple.

“Why do you keep them?” asked Katara finally, startling him out of his pensive silence. She motioned her hand to his outfit.

“Oh. This outfit… it reminds me of why I am here… who put me here… what we fought for.” He shifted uncomfortably, as he always did when he was being honest or revealing in anyway. Usually he had no issue opening up to her but something was… off… between them.

“And what did we fight for Zuko?” she asked quietly, feigning not to notice his discomfort.

“Peace,” he replied simply, locking eyes with her and allowing her to look into his heart. He was being honest. He sighed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sometimes, when I practice, I can forget why I’m doing all of this, who I’m doing it for. The long nights and the infuriating councillors sometimes make me want to burn everything down! But I need to stay calm, stay ready. We all lost in the war. We also won, but I don’t want to forget what we lost either…” he trailed off, flashes of the horrors he had seen during the war flashing through his mind. One particular flash that was not meant for him, one that still had the power to wake him up in the middle of the night sweating and shivering like a child. The fear for his uncle. The refugees… The voice of his mother before she left.

Katara’s hand reached up to touch her own mother’s necklace, the familiar pain of loss coursing through her body.

“Mine too,” he murmured, bowing his head.

Katara instinctively reached out to hold his hand, giving it a little squeeze. His fingers followed hers as she pulled away, and were consciously pulled back.

They sat in silence again, listening to the sounds of the palace and both secretly savouring the short contact they had just had.

Suddenly, Katara sucked in a breath.

“Its starting,” she said, bringing a hand up to her head. She tried to bend the tea from her teacup and it fluttered pathetically before stopping all movement at all. She let go of the breath she had been holding - there was no gut wrenching pain, she didn’t feel any part of herself die like she had at the North Pole. She just felt… a little odd…a little on edge with all the adrenaline. Somehow, bolder.

Zuko, however, was on his feet, pacing the room. He paused at the windows, looking out at the dark sky now that Yue had been covered, and again at the door, listening for the steady step of the guards as they patrolled the corridor outside.

“Zuko!” burst Katara finally, “Please just calm down! We don’t _know_ anybody wants to harm me, its just a hunch! Nothing is going to happen alright? You’re really putting me on edge!”

“Well good!” he snapped back, resuming his patrol with renewed ferocity. “Maybe next time you warn me of these things so I can put proper precautions in place instead of this ad hoc madness!”

“Proper precautions?? Are you _that_ convinced somebody wants me dead?”

“There have been uprisings,” he threw over his shoulder. “In support of Ozai. What better way to prove their power and start another war than assassinate the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador - the War Hero, the Avatar’s friend - while she is under my protection? So yes, they could very well want to kill you - to get back at me!” His voice had been steadily rising, a small reminder of a Zuko of the past.

“I didn’t know there were uprisings,” said Katara quietly, looking down at her hands.

“Yeah not exactly doing to advertise that to the international community am I? You think the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes are about to make trade deals with an unstable Nation?”

“Zuko STOP!” cried Katara, jumping to her feet and grabbing him by the shoulders, forcing him to pause his march and look at her. “We can help Zuko! If you’re having trouble, we can help!”

“I don’t need your help,” he growled, trying to push past her. The situation felt to incredibly familiar it boiled her blood.

“Yes you do! Why are you being such a … such a stubborn idiot?” she growled back, exasperated, banging her fists on his chest in frustration.

Zuko easily caught her hands in his own, holding them firmly in place.

“You almost died once because somebody wanted to get to me. I can’t let that happen. Ever.”

“Zuko…” she breathed, eyes wide. She felt a sensation of falling as things seemed to click into place - the looks, the touches, the way he always pulled away, never let it get too far, the rough formalities of goodbyes but the genuine greetings…could he feel the same way? “Is that… is that why you didn’t stop me leaving? Last time?” Her voice wobbled but didn’t break.

Zuko dropped her hands and turned his head away. She could almost see him counting his breaths.

Katara raised a hesitant hand and placed it on his scarred cheek, gently turning him back to look at her, waiting for an answer.

“Its too dangerous here for you Katara,” he told her finally, voice thick with an emotion he usually kept buried. He brushed a strand of her from her face and offered her a wistful smile. “Its better to know you are safe somewhere else…”

“I think thats for me to decide, don’t you?” he looked down at her, bewildered by her response. “If I stayed… would you… would we maybe…would you like to…” She was blushing furiously, but refusing to break eye contact.

“No. Katara. No.” He looked pained, she thought.

“Is that what you feel?”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel! What don’t you understand about that! And… and it doesn’t matter how you feel either… Yes, I want… I want to court you properly, I want you here by my side every day, so much it h-hurts… but it would put you in so much danger … even if you did decide to … even if you did want to… and you really shouldn’t want me and you probably don’t so….AHHHH” Zuko was propelled into the nearest wall by a jet of water and frozen there unceremoniously.

“Oh, look, my bending is back!” exclaimed Katara, smirking and turning to bow to Yue. The moonlight was growing through the window, sending energy through her veins, heart hammering with power.

She sauntered over to him, glad to see that the shock had stopped him thinking of melting himself free.

“I disagree. I think it does matter what I want, and what you want, and quite frankly your Nation will have to get used to it. In fact, let them come to me! You’ll capture them and root out the Ozai supporters… although you’re not particularly good at capturing people,” she giggled, setting him free with a flick of her wrist.

Zuko’s shoulders sagged and he groaned, opening his mouth to say something but startled as he felt a warm finger on his lips.

“Don’t Zuko,” she whispered, tantalisingly close to him. He couldn’t help looking at her lips - lips he had dreamt about tasting for far longer than he remembered, lips closer to his than they ever had been…

A loud knock ran through the room, pulling a curse from his own lips as Katara winked at him and pushed him towards the door.

His Head of Guard walked in, dragging two men in chains behind him.

“Fire Lord, we found these two men climbing into Master Katara’s room but she was nowhere to be … found,” he stated, the last word leaving his mouth as he set eyes on the very alive water bender standing behind Zuko.

“Thank you. Take them to the dungeons, they will be interrogated later,” commanded Zuko in his Fire Lord voice, eyeing the two assassins with utter disdain. The two glanced at one another with barely contained fear at the force in the Fire Lord’s voice, and glanced back towards the stoic monarch with no pity in his hard gaze.

The door swung shut, the clang echoing around the room.

“Huh, I guess I was right. The plan is going fantastically, don’t you think? Already two down!” came Katara’s voice from behind him, striking a note of false positivity.

“Katara…”

“No Zuko, I can’t do this anymore, I need to be with you alright? I go downright crazy every time I leave…”

“Katara please…”

“And I _am_ strong! You can teach me to sword fight if you like, I’ll learn! But I can protect myself and…”

“For Agni’s sake Katara!”

“I’M NOT LEAVING!”

“KISS ME THEN!”

Katara blinked, finding Zuko right in front of her, holding her hands tightly in his, a look of defeat drawn on his face but his eyes more alive than she’d seen them in a long time. A smile spread across her face as she leaned towards him and their lips, finally, met.

Yue smiled down at them through the window. Sometimes you needed to take something away for people to take advantage of it when its back.


	3. Past Lives & Enemies to Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iroh recounts the story of Oma and Shu. Few people know that they actually started out as enemies, and have a surprising amount of similarities with Zuko and a certain water bender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place just after the final Agni Kai. Zuko is still recovering from Azula's lightning and Katara is healing him at the Fire Palace. Iroh and the rest of the Gaang have also returned from their roles in the final battle.

** Days 3 & 4: Past Lives & Enemies to Lovers **

 

“One thing not many people know, nephew, is that Oma and Shu hated one another, in the beginning,” Iroh told Zuko, eliciting a groan from his nephew.

“Uncle!”

“Now, Zuko, until Master Katara tells you that you can stand again I have to keep you entertained… and what better way to do that than a noble story and some soothing jasmine tea?” Iroh chortled at Zuko’s resignation to the situation but noted how his nephew’s eyes would periodically dart to the door as if he expected somebody else to come in.

Handing Zuko a cup, Iroh settled himself on a chair beside the bed, helping Zuko sit up while not moving his bandages.

“Now, as I was saying, Oma and Shu did not like one another to start with!”

There was a silence. Finally, Zuko sighed.

“Why did Oma and Shu not like each other?”

“What an interesting question nephew! Since the story has peaked your interest, I shall tell you. It all started when two towns, one either side of the mountain, went to war. The war was so long and spanned so many generations that they soon forgot what it was all about! But, a child born in either of the towns was brought up first and foremost to hate anybody from the other town.

The mountain itself was perilous to climb, and only the young and fit could do so. One summer a sickness came over both towns, and the cure was tea made from flowers that grew at the top of the mountain, outside of either of their territories. The townspeople sent their most athletic young adults up the mountain where it was too steep for the older generation and too dangerous for the children.

One town sent Oma.

The other sent Shu.”

Iroh paused to sip his tea and looked over at his nephew, more taken with the story than he himself would admit.

“You see, Prince Zuko, the flowers only grew in one field at the top of the mountain, so it happened that both found themselves at the same place.

The first time they met they fought one another fiercely for the flowers and did not even pick one flower! You see, their honour for their town told them to hate the other before everything else… before the welfare of their people.

But as it got dark and they tired of fighting, they ran back to their homes, empty handed. That night people become more sick.

The next day the two agreed a truce while they picked, eyeing one another the whole time.

‘That’s not fair!’ one cried, ‘you have taken more flowers than me! If you take so many there will be none left!’

‘That’s not true!’ the other replied, ‘I’ve taken half as much as you! And my people need the flowers more!’

And so they both tried to snatch up as many flowers as they could before the other, for they did not trust one another at all. They could not see past their hatred to realise they were taking all the flowers and leaving none behind.

That night the towns healed, but more were needed. So the next day, Oma and Shu were sent up the mountain once again to retrieve more flowers. But there were none!

‘You came and destroyed the flowers!’ cried one.

‘Me? No you came and picked them all during the night!’ replied the other.

But the helplessness of the situation dawned upon the two and soon they stopped fighting.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ lamented Oma, ‘my mother is ill and there are no more flowers!’

‘At least she won’t die!’ scoffed Shu.

‘What do you mean she won’t die! My people are dying from the sickness - if I don’t find the flowers soon she might too…’

Shu was silent for a moment.

‘I was told that your town did not die of the sickness, but cursed us to,’ he told Oma.

‘I was told your town cursed us!’ admitted Oma. ‘Are your people dying too?’

‘Yes. My father is ill,’ said Shu.

As he spoke, Oma spotted one last flower at the edge of the field.

‘Look!’ she cried, pointing at it excitedly. Both ran towards it but stopped in front of it, for whoever picked it would save their parent and kill the other.

‘What if… what if we just scrape the seeds out of the centre and plant them?’ suggested Oma, suddenly feeling warmth for her mysterious companion who had not stolen the flower from her.

‘We need water to make it grow, and we must plant them near the surface for them to grow quickly,’ added Shu, respecting Oma for her idea.

They set to work carefully planting each seed at the right depth and dripping water on them. During their work they started looking at one another - really looking.

She is very pretty, thought Shu. He is quite handsome, thought Oma. Soon they were blushing at jokes.

‘My name is Oma,’ said Oma, after they finished their work. It was an offering of peace.

‘I’m Shu,’ he replied.

However, there was another problem! For the seeds to grow quickly, they needed to keep the ground warm. Deciding that leaving the seeds over night would risk them not growing quickly enough, they decided to lie down on top of their plants and spend the night side by side, sharing their warmth with the ground.

All through the night they exchanged stories about their towns - what the towns were really like rather than the propaganda they had been fed from birth. By the time the sun rose on the fourth day since they met, they were friends.

By the fifth day, the flowers had bloomed, enough for both of them! But that is not the only thing that had bloomed. Their young hearts had opened up to one another and it was with great sadness they left to their towns.

The flowers were received with great joy, and both parents were saved! Neither mentioned the other for fear of being outcast by their society, but each wondered how their town would react to knowing the other had saved them. For it was true that without Oma or Shu, people would have died that day - both were needed to grow enough flowers for everybody.

As two people who followed their hearts, however, they decided to continue going up the mountain every day to plant more flowers, knowing that there would be a next time, and enjoying one another’s company.

Now down in Oma’s town there was a young man who wanted to marry her and he followed her around all the time. She was not interested but he persisted. When she continued going up the mountainside after the sickness, he decided to follow her out of jealousy. He was slow and arrived long after Oma had, and peering into the field full of flowers he saw her laughing and falling into the arms of a stranger! When he saw them kiss he was filled with rage: for what had the other town done but steal what he thought was his!

He ran back down to the town and told them all about Oma’s affair, so that when Oma came down in the evening, she was locked up and never allowed to go up the mountain again.

Four days and four nights she was locked away, and four days and four nights Shu waited on the mountain. On the fifth day, the man who wanted to marry Oma went to the field and told Shu to leave. He said he was to be wed to Oma and Shu had disgraced her.

Shu fled, heartbroken.

When the man who wanted to marry Oma told her what he had done, with a cruel smile on his lips, she felt her heart splinter. That night she managed to escape but found her way up to the mountain barred by guards. In desperation she ran along the mountain and hid in a cave refusing to marry anybody but Shu.

As she wept, some curious creatures came to see who had entered their home, and consoled the poor woman. She and the badger moles became friends, and through watching them she learned to move the earth as they did.

A month passed and she tunnelled further into the mountain, leaving a labyrinth behind her. In the utter darkness, however, there would sometimes be light! Green crystals grew and she collected them, curling the stone around them to make a road.

Eventually, she emerged on the edges of Shu’s town.

As these things happen, that night Shu’s heart had called him to the mountain, and as he approached it he saw the figure of Oma, silhouetted in the moonlight. Even muddy and thin as she was, she was beautiful, and he cried with joy that she had not married and she had come to him!

Oma showed Shu how to follow the crystals and come to the heart of the mountain to meet her. She cautioned him not to follow any of the other roads for these would leave him trapped in the mountain. She taught him to learn from the badger moles and bend earth like her so that the mountain would never keep them apart.

When Oma returned to her town her parents greeted her with relief. Where had she been, all muddy and thin?

Mediation, she told them. She had made a spiritual connection and did not want to marry, but wanted to dedicate herself to the spirits.

Spirits should not be taken lightly Prince Zuko, even we know that, and back then they were far more visible in the open world. So if Oma said she was on a spiritual journey, her family could do nothing but oblige.

However, the man who wanted to marry Oma was not convinced, and he tracked her one night. However, he took a torch and so could not follow the green crystals to the heart of the cave - to the heart of the two lovers! He took a wrong turn and was hopelessly lost for a day and a night until he was spat out a few miles from his town.

In anger he mounted a raid on the other town. Shu was with Oma at the time and so did not know it was happening until he emerged from his tunnel and walked into town unarmed. The man who wanted to marry Oma killed him in cold blood.

As Shu’s heart stopped, the crystals ceased to glow and Oma felt her own heart pierced by a spear.

In her great anger and great power she flattened her own town searching for the man who killed Shu, but he was still in Shu’s town, so she bent through the mountain to find him. In her rage she flattened him with a mighty boulder, and then destroyed that town too.

Both her own people and his tried to attack her, but she was too strong and to broken to be defeated, although she killed nobody else. Eventually they decided to listen to her.

She told them of her love for Shu, how both towns were saved because they had worked together. She founded a new city, with people from both the towns, and she built it in two days and two nights with her earth bending.

‘Now you may live together and love each other,’ she told them, and taught some young people how to earth bend. They had to be grounded and firm, they had to listen to the way things were, not the way things were told to them. They had to stand their ground in the open, not as she had hidden on top and below the mountain.

When she completed their truing, she disappeared into the mountain, never to be seen again. They say the crystals started glowing again when she died and finally both hearts were at rest once more. In her honour, the people called the new city Omashu.”

Iroh and Zuko sat in silence for a moment, finishing their tea.

“That was a long time ago,” said Zuko finally, staring at his teacup.

“Perhaps. I find it a most relatable tale still!” replied Iroh, eyeing his nephew critically. “There are not many characters able to defy their own family and bring love and peace to the world, Zuko. To learn about other peoples as if they were your own and unite everybody together.”

“Oma did not unite, though. She destroyed both towns!” protested Zuko, but he still could not bring himself to look at his uncle.

“She did, in a moment of pain and panic. What would you do, Zuko? For the one you loved?” Zuko met Iroh’s gaze then, and watched as his uncle pointedly studied Zuko’s bandages. “In many ways Oma was denied her happy ending, but she rebuilt from the ashes something greater than herself. And her and Shu’s many lives afterwards have tried to do the same. It would be to disrespect them both if that chain were to break…”

Iroh patted Zuko’s arm and gently took his cup from him.

He silently let himself out, grinning to himself, leaving Zuko to whirring thoughts.

 

* * *

 

“Ah! Master Katara! You look troubled?”

“Hello Uncle! Oh I just had a strange dream about… flowers and badger moles I think? Anyway, is Zuko awake?”

“Yes, and I believe he was just looking for you!”


	4. Lord and Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Li and Lo tell Katara about the other Fire Ladies - or the lack thereof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set well after the war, just before Zuko and Katara's wedding.   
> Apologies if it is confusing to read Li and Lo's speech, there really was no other way to convey their split speaking!

**Day 5: Lord and Lady**

 

“There is a curse on Fire Ladies,”

“Indeed we have not had one for decades.” Came Lo and Li’s voices. Or was it Li and Lo?

After taking up the position of Fire Lord, Zuko had been forced to seek their advice on various matters of tradition. He considered them a two-headed snake, full of poison, and hated having them around. But nobody else knew the Fire Nation traditions or the Fire Nation history as they did, and Zuko needed to appease traditionalists as well as futurists at his public events.

Now he had found himself seeking their advice once more, but unfortunately he’d had to introduce them to Katara. Their marriage was approaching, and simultaneously her coronation. ‘When a Fire Lord marries, Prince Zuko, he is sharing all his responsibilities with his spouse, for the two must rule as equals always’.

Of course this didn’t sit well with the general populous, who thought of it as giving away half the Nation to the Water Tribes. That’s why he needed to present Katara to his people as following Fire Nation traditions. And the only ones who knew how to pull that off were, annoyingly, Li and Lo. Aside from their experience, they had a flare for the dramatic and had been the master minds of rallying the people to Ozai’s - or any - cause. Zuko needed to put that genius to good use, even though he knew they had played no small part in driving his sister completely insane.

“What curse?” said Katara, brows furrowing in worry.

“There is no curse! Don’t listen to them!” bit out a disgruntled Zuko. The outburst did not change the twins’ expression or posture at all. The perfect picture of humble servants.

“But you just told me to listen to them!” protested Katara. “What curse?” she asked again, turning to the two women.

“Fire Princess Azula,”

“Was challenged and lost the throne to her brother,”

“Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Fire Lord Ozai,”

“Banished Fire Princess Ursa,

“Before taking the crown.”

“And Fire Prince Iroh,”

“Would have ruled alone,”

“Since Fire Princess Otsa,”

“Died in childbirth,”

“Had his father not passed the crown,”

“To his brother.”

“Fire Lord Azulon,”

“Lost Fire Princess Zela in sickness,”

“After Fire Prince Ozai was born,

“Before becoming Fire Lord.”

“Fire Lord Sozin,”

“Ah that is a tale,”

“It is time to be truthful sister!”

“Yes yes. Fire Lord Sozin had a Fire Lady,”

“Fire Lady Mira,”

“Arranged,”

“Of course,”

“Ascended to the throne with him,”

“But upon the passing of the comet,”

“She took her own life.”

“And so you see,”

“There are no Fire Ladies our people remember,”

“And the power,”

“Since the start of the war,”

“Has always been the Fire Lord’s,”

“Alone.”

The two quietened when they had told their tale.

“So no Fire Lady has ruled alongside her husband since the start of the war?” asked Katara, glancing at Zuko.

“You would be,”

“The first.”

“The others are gone,”

“In Agni Kais,”

“Or banishment”

“Childbirth,”

“Sickness,”

“Or by their own hand.”

Katara was silent for a long time, thinking through this information. Zuko was balling and unballing his fists, silently praying to Agni that she wouldn’t leave him.

“I will break the curse,” she said finally, “I am a Master Healer, no wound or sickness will take me, a Master Waterbender so no assassin will best me, I cannot be banished without starting another war, nor challenged now the Sages have declared the marriage lawful, and I will not sit by and allow my husband to drive me to suicide.”

Lo and Li simultaneously bowed their heads.

“You are brave, Master Katara,”

“You must be prepared for your role.”

“We will train you,”

“You will be stronger,”

“You will be better,”

“You will occupy the people’s minds,”

“And kidnap their hearts,”

“So that you and Fire Lord Zuko,”

“May break the curse,”

“And the Fire Nation may have,”

“Once more,”

“A Lord and Lady.”


	5. Constellations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the war, Sokka and Katara are travelling through Makapu village, and Katara tracks down Aunt Wu to ask more about her powerful bender, now that she and Aang are not together anymore. What she doesn't expect is for the answer to be written in the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shoddy quality guys... literally written in one go and sort of word vomited form a little scene I had in my head!

**Day 6: Constellations**

“Remind me again why we are back here??” groaned Sokka, dragging his feet through the streets of Makapu, delaying the inevitable.

“Because, Sokka, Aang turned out to not be my ‘powerful bender’ after all and I want to ask more questions!” snapped an exasperated Katara. Things had ended amicably with Aang and she was sure she wouldn’t end up with him now… but she wanted to know who she would end up with! And there was only one person who could tell her: Aunt Wu.

Sokka huffed but continued walking in silence. They were headed to Kyoshi next and he just needed to focus on that to get through this ordeal.

 

* * *

 

A while later, Katara was being served tea between a flurry of questions about Aang from Aunt Wu’s assistant, Meng. She had grown up a little since last time they had met but was just as fascinated - and just as much of a chatterbox - as she had been back then. This time, Katara wondered whether they wouldn’t make a bad couple at all…

“It is interesting you come to me on this day,” said Aunt Wu as she swept into the room and took as seat opposite Katara, linking her arms inside her large sleeves.

Katara opened her mouth to reply but Aunt Wu held up a hand to stop her.

“You want to know about your powerful bender? The Avatar was not the powerful bender for you?”

Katara nodded in wide eyed awe of the older woman.

“And you have chosen this, the day of alignment to come to ask me?”

“What is the day of alignment?”

“The planets dear. They move throughout the year, didn’t you know? And today they align to link two of our most powerful constellations! Meng! Bring us the star maps!” she called.

Little footsteps were heard retreating from outside the room and then approaching again, as Meng reappeared, clutching a scroll to her chest. She reverently handed it to Aunt Wu with both hands and scurried out of the room once more.

Aunt Wu unraveled it and spread it across the table between them.

“As you can see,” she started, “This is the sky map for tonight. These are our two constellations and the planets will position themselves to form a straight line between the two. It happens once every hundred years, my dear.”

Katara awed and ahed at the intricate map laid before her. Fleetingly she remembered the three dimensional version they had used in the Wan Xi Tong desert to predict the solar eclipse. Sokka would have probably enjoyed this!

“What does it mean? When they align?”

“What do you notice about these two constellations? If I cover up the planets?”

Katara looked at them hard. She knew very little about these stars, having been brought up with a different sky in the South Pole. These ones were at the edge of her vision back home and she had never learned about them.

“Um…this one,” she started uncertainly, pointing at the bottom of the two, “looks a bit… like a chair? And the other a bit like a waterfall? Or an upside down cup?” she blushed at how silly she sounded under Aunt Wu’s unwavering gaze.

Aunt Wu chuckled. “An upside down cup indeed! Well we must forgive you for your lack of knowledge about the stars, although you would do well to learn them. And what do you see now?” she asked, taking her hand away from the planets and allowing the two constellations to become one.

Katara took a deep breath before looking back down at the chart, determined to see something a little better than a chair and an upside down cup!

As soon as her eyes travelled over the map she had the strangest sensation of familiarity, but try as she might she could not place what their shape reminded her of.

“I’m sorry Aunt Wu, I do not know!” she admitted finally.

“Then perhaps I judged wrong, and you are not ready to know who your powerful bender is. I am sorry. You had chosen this day to ask, this day to wonder, so I assumed the stars would reveal the importance of your discovery. But perhaps you do not know your heart well enough… I am sorry I could not help more.”

She stood, bowed, and brushed past Katara who was trying desperately to study the sky map with a sad look upon her face.

 

* * *

 

That night, Katara was restless.

“You know there’s a really cool thing happening with the planets tonight?” she told Sokka over dinner.

“Who told you that? Aunt Wu?” he asked, his mouth full of dumplings.

“She had a map of the sky - a bit like the ones we saw in The Library. All the planets form a straight line tonight. I was wondering whether you wanted to go see it?”

Sokka looked at her over his meal, shrugged and nodded, wolfing down the rest of his meal.

 

* * *

 

Long after dusk, when the stars were out, they trekked out of the village and away from the lights. Finally the stars all came into view, and with them a line of brightly shining planets, all in a perfectly neat row.

Katara gasped.

Lightning!

The shape, the familiar shape, it was a bolt of lightening, spreading out to the tips of both constellations!

Automatically, Katara’s hand flew to her chest, to the exact place somebody else had a scar - because of her.

She smiled, blinking away tears, unable to explain the joy blooming in her chest - something she had not even admitted to herself was possible… and yet there is was, written into the stars…

 

* * *

 

“So, did Crazy Lady tell you who your Powerful Bender was?” asked Sokka when he finished sketching the stars and they wondered back into town. He was trying to dispel the extremely odd silence that had fallen over his sister at the sight of the stars. They were pretty - but not that pretty!

“Oh, no, she didn’t tell me,” replied Katara, unable to wipe the grin from her face.

“See? I told you! Absolute fake!” said Sokka smugly, although a little irked by the fact Katara wasn’t disappointed.

“You were right Sokka. After Kyoshi, I think we will be needed in the Fire Nation…”


	6. Forbidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of humans, inspired by Adam and Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea... idk... just... go with it... also im so behind... *cries*

**Day 7: Forbidden**

 

When the first humans were created they were kept in a spirit garden. The spirit created four humans and kept them in the garden under the one condition: that they do not manipulate any of the elements.

And they did not, for their hearts were full of joy and there was no need to touch the elements. Toph, the blind girl would be lead around by her spirit friends and rejoiced in her freedom. Aang, the excitable boy would climb and jump in the trees all day. Katara, the motherly girl would enjoy most diving into the waterfalls. And Zuko, the quiet boy would relish the sunlight on his skin.

However, one day Raava lost her hold on Vaatu, and he planted evil throughout the spirit world. He snuck into the beautiful garden and sowed fear into the heart of the humans.

The blind girl heard screaming and no matter how fast she ran she could not reach her human friend. Her spirit guides had abandoned her, and out of fear she planted one foot on the ground and willed it to move, to help her friend.

The excitable boy heard screaming and snapping branches, hearing one of his friends falling from one of the impossibly high trees. Knowing full well they would not survive the fall, his fear pushed him to leap into the air and use it to boost himself over to the tree to catch them.

The motherly girl saw one of her friends trapped by a rock under a pool of water, struggling to get free. As much as she swam downwards, a current always brought her up. Her fear caused her to sweep the water out of her way.

The quiet boy heard screams of a friend and saw their shadow trapped in a raging forest fire. He willed the fire to move out of his way as he ran into the flames.

But as each one reached their friend, the person they held in their arms turned into an evil spirit and disappeared.

“You have bent the elements,” boomed the spirit voice, “it is forbidden! For your crimes you will no longer be allowed to reside in this spirit garden, and will hereafter be banished to the physical world!”

“What were we supposed to do?” cried the motherly girl, now more fierce and strong than she had ever been.

“Just let them die?” joined the quiet boy, now more vocal and more righteous than ever before.

“Oh great spirit, you cannot blame us for saving one another! All life is sacred,” chimed in the excitable boy, suddenly in earnest and wise.

“It doesn’t matter,” said the blind girl quietly, “If Vaatu was able to treat us so, we are of no use.” She had become able to see far more than where her next step was.

And it was so that through fear the first humans condemned all of mankind to live in the material world, full of hardships and forever destined to try to recreate the perfection of the spirit garden.


	7. Arranged Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED PROBABLY  
> Katara finds herself in an arranged marriage with Haan of the Northern Water Tribe... luckily Zuko is there to help her get out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. this turned into something longer that I'd like to go back to and continue at some point if people like it! I would probably rewrite this taking my time over some of the events and then obviously playing everything out... so what do you think?

**Day 8: Arranged Marriage**

Chief-Daughter Katara had been promised to Haan of the Northern Water Tribe.

She couldn’t believe it.

And the Council of the Tribes had been told in no uncertain terms exactly how she felt about it. But, as Chief Hakoda had told her, Sokka would be taking over the South and if she was in the North it would spell and era of peace and regrowth for the sister tribes.

So she silently had to deal with her arranged marriage, mere weeks after leaving Aang. In her silence, her rage stewed and grew into an angry monster lying in wait to rear its ugly head.

Finally the day had arrived that she was to board a sturdy Southern ship and make the long journey to the North. She expected tears from her family. Her father hugged her and let his tears fall, and although she was furious with him she did accept that politically it made sense…

But when she got to her GranGran and Gran-Pakku, they merely smiled at her.

“You have a song spirit, Katara,” said GranGran, brushing her cheek, “you can still stop them breaking it. You remind me so much of myself…” She winked and handed a very confused Katara to her brother.

Sokka, too, didn’t seem to torn up about seeing her leave either, even though he felt keenly that the situation was unfair. Not to mention his utter dislike of his old enemy Haan. However, he, too smiled, and hugged her tightly.

“Be careful, and be safe. There are friends along the way,” he told her.

Katara felt a pang of hurt cut down her defiance at their seeming indifference to her ordeal.

It was not until she arrived to her room on the ship that she found the scroll written in Sokka’s hand in her pocket, or that she realised his beloved Hawky had been granted space in her quarters.

 

_Dear Katara,_

_This is stupid. You can’t marry Haan, but neither can the South be seen to break the arrangement. So we’ll have to play the game._

_I’ve spoken to Zuko and he is also going up to the North. Yue told me that they do not like people doing the DEED before their marriage so you and Zuko are going to pretend to have done exactly that. I know, ew right! Anyway you just need to drop some hints and the like and they will try to break the marriage themselves._

_Zuko is going to find ways to stay until he’s sure they will annul the whole thing. See I put a sneaky thing in the contract - whoever breaks the betrothal will have to pay penance to the other tribe!_

_I know, genius mastermind right here!_

_IMPORTANT: If they directly ask you if you’ve done the do, don’t say yes or no! Try to avoid it as much as possible ok?Just, trust me!_

_After which, I would suggest maybe staying away from the Tribes for a bit - go do those things you never had time to do with Aang and let me know where you’re going so I can make sure you have friends there. It will all blow over soon enough._

_Take good care of Hawky!_

_Sokka._

_P.s. Burn this._

 

Katara had tears in her eyes when she finished reading, but a smirk grew on her lips. Yes, that angry monster that had been incubating in her gut was finally going to get a chance to be let loose. An old fire of defiance had been lit from the embers of the letter burning on her hearth. She would make GranGran and Sokka proud.

* * *

 

When Katara’s ship pulled up in the North she was greeted with much formality - which she found quite frankly sickening. Now that the South was back together and stronger she had settled into the informalities of her people, the warmth of their laughs and the generosity of their hearts. She already knew from experience that the North, holed up behind their high walls and imposing structures, lead lives of icy stiffness just like their surroundings. The thought of spending the rest of her life there was sickening to the core, and she almost physically threw up when she spotted Haan dressed as Water Tribe royalty and with his own escort of guards. She could not believe Chief Arnook had taken the odious boy under his wing after Yue had left them.

However, her eyes skimmed over the Chief and landed on Zuko. He, too, was dressed in Water Tribe dress, but his clothes were a different shade to the dark blue of the North; his dye had been mixed with red to create a deep purple, and the fur he wore was exclusively from red fox so had a deep orange tint. On his head he wore his Fire Prince Crown, and his retinue were at ease behind him, signalling no threat from the approaching ship.

As Katara drew closer she found herself thinking that he looked good dressed in Water Tribe. She felt her cheeks blush. Well, it would help the charade if she was at least a little attracted to him. And if she was willing to admit things to herself she would need to acknowledge she had always found him attractive.

As she descended from the ship she decided to forego the North’s formal structure when it came to her crew and instructed her men to act as Southerners; there was no danger, and they could be seen to talk to her and share jokes. She smirked in satisfaction at the frown of distaste on her betrothed’s mouth at her familiarity with the rest of her tribe.

However, when addressing her future family, she would upload the highest decorum, as she knew they expected. Firstly, she bowed to Chief Arnook in Southern Water Tribe style and then in Northern style, appropriately lower than the Chief. That garnered her a half smile of approval. Next, she was expected to bow to her betrothed, but instead she turned to Zuko and again gave him a Southern Water Tribe greeting, offering her arm out to him as equals which he took with a warm smile and a mischievous glint in his eye. She noticed how much more sure of himself he was now, how he seemed relaxed in his position. She offered him the smallest of smiles while bowing Fire Nation style, before moving on to a bristling Haan.

To him she bowed once again in Southern Style, but did not reach out her hand as equals, and hardly bent when greeting him in Northern style. This signalled her expectation that he bow lower than her. She could hear Zuko’s soft cough as he covered a laugh but held her face steady.

The Southern Tribe did not have a royal family as they did in the North, but if they did recognise it as such, she would out rank Haan.

“Princess Katara,” started the Chief softly, “Haan is recognised as my son-in-law here…”

“Oh, apologies, I did not realise. As if he had married Princess Yue?” she asked innocently, but made sure to talk to the Chief and not Haan.

“Yes, indeed. He had been trained to be the next Chief already,” explained Arnook, looking uncomfortable but keeping a confident posture about him.

“Then I am to be his second wife?” She asked sweetly, cocking her head to one side.

Arnook’s lips thinned but he nodded.

Katara turned back to Haan and instead greeted him as an equal. He did not look impressed.

“Sweet Princess Katara, I have made this for you,” he announced, in a well rehearsed voice, lifting two fingers and calling a guard over. The guard opened a box with a betrothal necklace in it.

“That is much appreciated Prince Haan. Noret? Could you please put Prince Haan’s beautiful present with my things?” she called, smiling warmly to one of her guards, who easily bounded over and took the proffered box.

“It is tradition in the North that the betrothed wear her necklace,” Haan told her, steel in his voice.

“And when I become part of the Northern Water Tribe I will see to abide by their traditions,” answered Katara. “It has been a pleasure to meet you again Prince Haan, I congratulate you on your… rise in fortunes…” she said sweetly before moving past him to follow the Chief. She could feel his cold stare boring into her back.

* * *

 

That evening there was an elaborate banquet held in her honour. She sat between Haan and Zuko, since they were all of the same social status according to the Northern Tribe. Her conversations with Haan were polite and short, but those with Zuko were warm, full of laughter and merriment. Katara found that her friend had only grown more into himself during their time apart, and he filled his skin nicely. She had never seen him chuckle so much, and the light in his eyes that she had only ever glimpsed in the latter part of their time together during the war was out in full force. It softened his whole face, allowing him to become as warm as his element.

“Prince Zuko,” started Haan when there was a lull in their conversation, and making sure Chief Arnook could hear them. “Didn’t you visit the Northern Tribe during the war? Were you not here during the invasion?” He said it conversationally, but it was meant to cut.

“Indeed,” replied Zuko, keeping his anger under check but thinning his lips. Katara was impressed at the lack of outburst.

“And didn’t you take the Avatar on that occasion too?” Haan added.

“That is so,” answered Zuko again.

“Prince Zuko,” interrupted Katara, “I do seem to remember this! I believe we sparred quite fiercely while I was protecting the spirit pond. Where were you at that point Haan - forgive me for not remembering?”

“You were a formidable opponent,” said Zuko, smiling at her.

“I-uh-believe… I must have been…” started Haan, looking embarrassed.

“And I think, Prince Zuko, correct me if I’m wrong, that you and your Uncle, the Fire Lord, punished Admiral Zhao for his transgressions on our spirits?” Katara cut across, looking him dead in the eye and telling him silently to not deny it, not tell them it was the Spirit’s own doing through Aang that took Zhao to the depths.

“Indeed what occurred was disastrous, and Zhao had no honour in him,” he murmured in agreement.

“And then, did you not teach the Avatar fire bending while also bringing the plans of the Earth Kingdom invasion?”

“Yes.”

“And I believe you fought against your family for the good of the world, helping to end the hundred year war?”

“Not without the help of some very talented friends,” he replied, looking happier again.

“It _is_ good to talk about the old days, is it not Prince Haan?” asked Katara, turning towards him with a smile and light words but with a warning in her eyes. “It is so fortunate we are all here, three peoples at a table and being able to move forward to more peaceful times,” she added, nodding to Arnook, who was watching them carefully.

“I believe there are only two peoples here, Princess Katara,” said Haan through gritted teeth.

“Perhaps soon. There is much to rebuild between our two peoples, and as it stands we have grown into very different places,” she said sweetly, and turned to the food that had just been laid out in front of her, closing the conversation.

* * *

 

“Where did you learn courtly manner? You basically cut that boy to shreds with your words!” asked Zuko through a laugh later that evening. Both being guests they shared a wing of the palace, and so had a communal area to sit together.

“Aang didn’t like fighting or water bending when we went on diplomatic missions. I needed to get certain things done anyway though, so I sharpened my words instead,” Katara told him, bitterly.

“You would do well in an Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation court.”

They sat in amicable silence for a while.

“So… Sokka told you about his plan?” started Zuko, a light blush spreading over his good cheek.

“Yes. Lets get this over with as quickly as we can, alright?”

“Of course, of course. Wouldn’t want to be pretending for too long… I mean not that it is unpleasant… to pretend… or you… I just meant … lets get out of this place as soon as we can!” Zuko stumbled over his words, blushing as he spoke.

Katara laughed.

“I agree!”

“But, Katara, and I hope you’ll forgive me asking, but why isn’t Aang here doing this? I mean you were together for a while so it is far more…credible?”

“Oh! Um we didn’t actually ever… so you see Aang has a bit of an issue lying… and its still bit strange between us… so I guess Sokka couldn’t convince him to …” she mumbled, looking into the fire burning low in the room. She had gone over this in her mind a thousand times on her ship - why not Aang? She knew things would be odd when she left him but even for merely her friendship’s sake he could help her out!

“Hah! Aang’s a fool!” muttered Zuko. “He should still help you out! But really, you didn’t…”

“No.”

“I thought both the air benders and the Southern Tribe were alright with…”

“They are. We just weren’t ready alright!?” snapped Katara, feeling colour rise up to her cheeks.

“Hey, that’s fine! I didn’t mean to say otherwise, I was just curious! I guess its not my place to be curious…” Zuko suddenly looked unsure of himself like he used to.

“I’d just rather not talk about it alright? And we’re the ones who are supposed to have done it so we should probably get a sort of story straight we can hint at.”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” he said, nodding and shuffling to the edge of his seat.

A thrill wound its way up Katara’s spine as she realised he must have already thought about the two of them… together… like that. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t too.


	8. Tea Shop and Matchmaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iroh leaves Zuko his Tea Shop when he passes into the spirit world, but has one last trick up his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Long. And late. Sort of a collection of scenes really and I don't feel it ties together too well but since I had written it I've decided to just go ahead and post it anyway.
> 
> Iroh opened his tea shop in the Caldera in this story. There is no way I think he would have abandoned Zuko and gone to Ba Sing Se. So I'm going to pretend he didn't!

**Days 9 & 21: Tea Shop and Matchmaking**

 

Iroh’s slippers lay bare at the entrance to the Jasmine Dragon on the day he passed into the spirit world. His familiar tread on the wooden floorboards eerily silent. Gone were the badly sung words of girls in Ba Sing Se or the knowing chuckle, the slap of pai sho tiles on the worn board. His apron hung on the peg inside the door, too large for anybody else to don.

Zuko placed white lilies on the Caldera’s favourite tea shop himself, refusing any help in doing so. He could not bare somebody else to handle his uncle’s things, to tell the world of his passing.

He sent out notices to all the corners of the world, to all of his Uncle’s vast network of friends. He organised accommodations, preparations for the funeral, hired staff and personally interviewed the Fire Sages who would perform the ceremony. And he didn’t sleep. Keeping himself occupied was the trick, he found, and no time alone would be tolerated…

But soon there was nothing left to do, and Zuko had time before his guests arrived to fully let the utter loneliness set in. He wasn’t sure how he was going to cope without Iroh’s guidance. For the first time in a long time, Zuko felt very alone.

* * *

 

The day of the funeral dawned and the pyre was built in the Fire Palace’s main courtyard. All were welcome, despite the warnings of Zuko’s Head of Guard. He had no concern for his own life with so many powerful people present. Any who loved his Uncle would not let any harm come to the Fire Lord.

And indeed the amount of people who arrived in the courtyard reminded Zuko of just how powerful Iroh had been. Zuko’s prepared speech suddenly felt grossly inappropriate; bus boys and kings, tea lovers, pai sho players, generals, admirals, white lotus and Fire Nation aristocracy… they would all have different stories to share. Zuko could not possibly sum up the Dragon of the West in a short speech.

Gathering a deep breath, the Fire Lord strode out into the crowd, approaching the pyre in a gathering hush. Around the structure stood his own closest friends, giving him courage.

Zuko turned to the crowd, all matching his own outfit and wearing a mourning white. He cleared his throat.

“Fire Prince Iroh, General Iroh, Dragon of the West, Grand Master, Iroh, Uncle… by whatever name you knew him I know he touched your heart in some way, and I thank you for being here to wish him well in the spirit lands. I… I cannot attempt to encompass a person so kind and strong as my Uncle was. I hope you will be able to share your own stories with me and with one another after the ceremony.” Zuko’s voice caught as he nodded to the Avatar and the Fire Sages, glad nobody had been scandalised by his short speech. His fist ignited and he punched the first ball of fire towards the kindling. The others did the same until it caught fire, curling around the wooden box where Uncle’s body lay.

The Sages started their solemn chanting, the particular prayers chosen by Zuko to reflect not only Agni and the Fire Nation, but also ancient ones calling on the spirits of all the nations. He thought it was only fitting. The tinkling of the cymbals and the music of the voices grew and waned with the flames, keeping everybody transfixed in the ceremony. When the chanting died down, and only the cymbals remained, the Sages approached and threw powder into the fire, turning the black smoke a billowing white. They would continue doing this until the fire burned itself out, to signal the passing of the much revered Dragon of the West to all who could see the smoke. It was a Fire Lord’s funeral, but to Zuko, Iorh was more worthy of it than any Fire Lord that had come before, even if he had never taken the title. For the first few years of his reign, it was Iroh who guided Zuko to the right decisions - guidance that stopped the world sliding back into chaos.

Silence fell over the crowd.

“I am sure my Uncle would have had a proverb about death bringing life … but I am not as wise as he was,” came Zuko’s voice, clear but gentle, and pulling a chuckle from his guests. “However, I did learn that when in doubt, drink tea… The Jasmine Dragon will be serving tea now, there are tables set out for everybody. Please join us in celebrating his life over his favourite drink.”

At his signal, the guards opened the gates to the street and started ushering the guests to the nearby Jasmine Dragon. Zuko had set up tables all down the street to accommodate the guests, and had dug out his uncle’s notes on who liked what blend. He’d hired servers who speed-learned who everybody was so they could serve them the right tea, and the tea makers Iroh had trained up were honoured to make tea for everybody. They had wanted to show their respect in their own way - by passing down Iroh’s skill - rather then attending the funeral as guests.

But as the guests filtered out, Zuko found he was not ready to move, and still watched the flames of the pyre, the smoke peeling off of it. The Sages would chant every quarter hour, adding more powder to the smoke, and he let two chants pass him by, unmoving.

“Zuko?” came a kind voice from his side, a gentle touch to his arm. He turned red rimmed eyes, dry from having shed too many tears, and met Katara’s watery blue ones. “Zuko, come celebrate Uncle’s life with us,” she said quietly.

“I… I just can’t leave him,” chocked out Zuko, eyes sliding back to the flames.

“Zuko? Hey, Zuko, look at me,” she replied, moving closer and gently turning his face so he had no choice but to pay attention. “He’s not in there Zuko. He’s inside your heart now. All of our hearts. Believe me, you’ll be closer to him if you come with all of us.” Katara let her hand drop from his face, taking in the tired lines. She was about to ask him when the last time he slept was, but decided to leave it. She remembered avoiding sleep when her mother died too.

“You know, this is…this is more painful than losing my mother…” he said quietly, defeated. “Does that make me a bad person?”

“Uncle was there when she couldn’t be Zuko. How could it be otherwise?” replied Katara, meeting his gaze to convey her sincerity. They shared a long moment together, standing by the fire, white clothes rustling in the wind. “You know what I think you need?” she said finally, shaking herself out of her reverie.

“What?”

“Some soothing jasmine tea,” she said, quoting Uncle Iroh with a sheepish smile.

Zuko choked on a bittersweet laugh. Katara reached out her hand, palm up, waiting for him to take it. Zuko nodded in submission, and placed his hand in hers, casting one last look at the fire, and heading into the tea drinkers.

* * *

“Fire Lord Zuko,” came a panicked voice of one of the tea servers, followed by three nervous bows, “Fire Lord we humbly beg your forgiveness but we could not find the blend that was for yourself! The Tea Makers have assured me they have looked throughout the stock but the tea is missing!” The server bobbed another bow and kept his eyes staring at the ground.

“I don’t… its alright, please rise! I don’t mind, as long as nobody else is going without tea,” replied Zuko, startled at the scene. He didn’t mind, and frankly was quite glad. His uncle’s special blend for himself was something he’d only ever tasted made by Iroh. To have somebody else make it would have been… challenging.

“No Sir Mr Fire Lord Sir. We have all the other blends!”

“Then it is no issue. Please send my thanks to all the Tea Makers. They are doing an excellent job.”

The server’s eyes widened in shock at the lack of anger and he nodded, bowing again and scurrying away.

Zuko sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, thankful he had insisted to leave the Fire Crown in his chambers. He didn’t want to be Fire Lord - today all he wanted to be was Iroh’s nephew.

Beside him Katara’s giggle trickled into his thoughts. She was sipping her own tea.

“Are they all so terrified of you?” she asked, nodding at the server as he hurried off.

“No matter how I treat them they still think I will behave like my father!” he told her.

“Hmmm. I suppose, with time, they will see that you only ever really get angry at yourself,” she replied, pensively. Zuko was taken aback by her statement. It was true, he had a temper - one he had learned to control since joining the Avatar - but it was only ever introspective. He made himself the most angry. Trust Katara to understand that!

“Perhaps, one day,” he muttered.

“I think you’re a fantastic Fire Lord, Zuko. And I know Uncle thought so too,” she offered him a sad smile as she said so. Zuko’s heart squeezed painfully but he took a deep breath and relaxed a little.

“How about you Katara? Since you and Aang… you know… I’ve not really heard what you’ve been doing,” he said, mostly to change the conversation but also because his friend’s long silence had been weighing on his mind. He saw her often enough - she would come to see Iroh and catch him between meetings or at dinner - but she never stayed long enough to catch up, and never let him know when she’d be arriving so he could prepare and clear his schedule. Her visits were an unexpected ray of sunshine in his otherwise regulated time. He just always wished she would let him know so he could take full advantage of her being in the city.

“I’ve been… floating,” she replied, the smile gone from her face. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing. Iroh was the only one who made me feel like I belonged anywhere…”

“Katara, you never told me,” he said, concerned and not a little hurt.

“I thought… I thought that I would find something. I didn’t want to burden you - you’re always so busy!” she told him, blushing slightly.

“Is that why you never told me you were coming?” he pressed. This was already the most genuine conversation they’d had since she had turned up at the Fire Palace completely distraught after her breakup with the Avatar.

She shrugged. “I’m not really important enough for you to cancel meetings for. I knew you would, Zuko, don’t lie! I don’t want to get in the way, that’s all.”

Zuko shook his head in disbelief.

“Of course I would cancel meetings! Katara you’re important. And you’re particularly important to me. I want to see you…”

A silence passed between them. A few people eyed them, wanting to come to talk to the Fire Lord but not willing to interrupt a conversation with the Master Waterbender.

“I wanted to ask…” he said finally, “if you would consider taking over the Jasmine Dragon.” He wasn’t looking at her.

“What?”

“I just… the tea shop should continue… and you know how it all works from all the times you’ve been here… and if you’re trying to work out what to do, well, you could run it for as long as you wanted. We could find a replacement when you wanted to move on… I just can’t think of anybody better to it.” He still refused to look at her, almost holding his breath for her answer.

“Do you really mean that? I… I don’t know what to say… I could never replace Uncle, Zuko… I hope you know that,” Katara told him quietly, overwhelmed by the offer.

“No, and I don’t want you to. I just want you to be… well… Katara. I need somebody I can trust with it, somebody who will look after the people who come in here, somebody smart and passionate and hard working. You’re all those things and more…” He was talking mostly to himself, the lines rehearsed as if he had been thinking about this for a while, and only half pronounced for fear they would not be enough to convince her.

Tears swam in Katara’s eyes though and she launched herself onto Zuko with a strangled cry, surprising him into a tight hug. Zuko’s arms automatically encircled the water bender, holding her closer than he probably should have. He hadn’t realised how much he had wanted to just be held. He had to take a deep breath to hold back his grief once more.

“I’ll do it!” she told him as she let go, wiping at her eyes.

Katara turned towards the Jasmine Dragon, letting the familiar sight sink in. It was going to be difficult, but Iroh always found a way to make her feel like she belonged.

* * *

 

At the funeral reception Zuko had hired scribes to mingle with the guests and record as many stories as would be told to them. He wanted to preserve all aspects of his Uncle, and would have them written up and stored with his memorial inscription along with the other Fire Lords.

However, this had apparently excited the interests of the general public, and many came to the tea shop over the following days to leave their own stories. Katara read a few and suspected half the people were making things up and were hoping to come into good graces with the Fire Lord himself, even going so far as to put their full name, their children’s names and their addresses into the stories.

Along with the incense offerings and the flowers people would leave at the shop, Katara felt like she was running a full time Iroh-memorial rather than selling tea. She eventually caved and put up a portrait of Iroh, allowing all offerings, stories and flowers to be left underneath it and daily transported to the palace.

Zuko came into the shop once, took one look at Iroh’s portrait and left. Admittedly, initially Katara found it eerie to have Iroh watching her the whole time - adding to his ledgers, her own unrefined handwriting under his fluid characters, changing which teapots were being used, ordering his staff around. But after a few days, the shop hadn’t come crashing down around her ears and she imagined Iroh’s looks to be those of gentle approval.

It was not until a week later that Zuko ventured down again. He arrived just before closing time, intending to stay late to talk to Katara and try to ignore the tightness in his chest as he remembered when Iroh had first convinced him to take a break from the palace and come for some tea.

When Katara saw him come in she beamed at him from across the counter, and Zuko couldn’t help a tentative smile back. He took a seat, back straight and studiously ignoring the hush that spread over the remaining customers. Katara hurried over to him.

“Zuko! I’m so glad you’re here! Tea?” she said, smiling. They had missed one another all week even though Katara was staying at the Fire Palace. They were both trying to catch up on work and would collapse in bed after a small dinner, not having had time for anything else.

He nodded, and she signalled to one of the tea makers to start brewing. Zuko indicated she took a seat, looking around nervously. “I’m glad you changed the table layout,” he said sincerely, “I don’t think I could have sat at the same table again…”

“I’m glad you think so. It was just too painful for me to look at all the time… We have another problem though Zuko,” she started, looking a little put out. “See Uncle’s orders are all very clear and he _should_ have had a lot of your Jasmine blend around… but its just not here! It’s almost as if he took it with him! I’ve looked everywhere Zuko, I’m so sorry. I can order another shipment of the ingredients but that will take two months to arrive, and then the master blender will be able to make you up the blend again. I just don’t know where it could have gone!” She was frowning, mentally sifting through all of the stock again, all of the nooks and crannies of the kitchen, everywhere Iroh could have put the tea. But it was just nowhere!

Zuko brought a hand up to his hair, scratching his scalp as he thought about where Iroh could have left his tea. It wasn’t so much that he was upset about not having it, but it struck him as incredibly odd that Iroh would have misplaced it. Eventually he shrugged.

“I’ll have a look again through his room at the Fire Palace, but other than that I don’t know where the tea could be. Unless he hadn’t blended it yet?”

Katara shook her head. “We can’t find the majority of the ingredients either, so it wasn’t un-blended. I just don’t understand!”

“Uncle was always a little odd…” he brushed it off, unwilling to let it get to him. He was here to relax, after all. “Is the shop alright? How are you Katara?”

“Well… most of the patrons know me already and are really supportive when things go wrong. Sometimes people aren’t… well… expecting to see Water Tribe behind the counter. I think they’re getting used to it…”

“Who? Are they being unkind?” Zuko’s good eye narrowed, scanning the existing customers.

“Zuko, it’s alright, you can’t undo centuries of hatred over night. They will get used to me…”

“I can damn well try. You tell me the next one who says anything and I’ll show them myself that —“

“Zuko! I can handle it!” she snapped, holding her head high.

Zuko looked away, grumbling under his breath.

“I love it here Zuko. I know I’m maybe not doing much but I’m doing something! And the regulars, they’re so lovely and they come to me for advice and you know there are so many _things_ happening!”

She was cut off as Zuko’s tea arrived, made by Iroh’s tea making prodigy. He took an experimental sip.

“This isn’t bad,”commented Zuko, indicating his tea appreciatively.

Katara snorted. “I remember some of your attempts at making tea _Fire Lord_ and this is infinitely better!”

Zuko grimaced at the memory of his first tea attempts as an angry teenager. “I think Uncle called it ‘bracing’,” he muttered, wincing at the mention of Iroh, still so raw for him. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it Katara. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but the place is doing well.”

Katara smiled at him. It felt so good to have her own project, to be doing something. She knew she would outgrow it, but it was just what she needed to get her thoughts back into some semblance of order.

But she still couldn’t find Zuko’s tea.

* * *

 

A few months later Katara understood why Iroh would keep a tea shop. People talked. A lot.

They talked over tea, chatted over cake, gossiped over games - and completely ignored her. Oh they would confide small things in her, ask an opinion on a dress here or there, and some even became close friends. Katara could never resist helping those friends she did make - and those they told her about. However, the adventures of the Painted Lady by night will have to wait for another story.

But when it came to politics not one person thought she would be able to understand what was happening. She soon knew the workings of the majority of the Caldera - who was marrying who, who wasn’t marrying who, who had money hidden elsewhere, who supported the new Fire Lord and who decidedly didn’t.

Zuko would come at the end of the day and sit with her while she filled him in, and he in turn would ‘happen’ to find hidden money, stolen goods, keep an eye on the die hard Ozai supporters. Anybody who was anybody would have to be seen at the tea shop - it was one of the top social places in the city.

And, of course, some were initially attracted by the prospect of seeing the woman who took down their Princess in her youth. Katara had become accustomed at judging how receptive customers would be to some of Zuko’s new policies by how they looked at her. It was hard to hide utter disdain, even for the higher classes who should have been trained in schooling their eyes. The lower classes didn’t even try.

It was one slow day when three men entered the tea shop. She didn’t like the look of them; they clearly came from a harsher side of the city - but that wasn’t too unusual. What put her on edge was the way their eyes flicked over every customer in the shop - specifically their jewellery.

Katara brushed herself down and walked over to them with a bright smile.

“Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! Please, right this way, I’ll have a table made up in just a moment,” she said in her most welcoming voice, all the while watching them closely. They followed her lead and sat without a fuss, although their eerie silence made her all the more uneasy.

“You know, you’re quite pretty for a Water Tribe girl,” one man finally grunted as she waited patiently for them to make their order. “I got a pretty sum I keep just for girls like you! And I tell you, many others would too… you could stand to make a little more money, eh? Not the top in the city, but a good average…” Katara stiffened at the insult, their purpose there made clear. It was the third time people had come in asking her to join one brothel or another. Apparently there was a taste for Water Tribe and they were vying to sell her off for a high price for a night.

This time was different though: this time Zuko heard.

He growled low, the only warning before he sprang towards the man and grabbed him by his collar, pinning him to the wall. The two locked eyes- the man’s terrified ones and the Fire Lord’s murderous ones.

“Someone with so little honour should never be allowed into the Jasmine Dragon. I better not see you here again,” he growled, flinging the man towards the exit as people scurried out of the way to let him scramble out of the door.

“You didn’t need to do that Zuko,” whispered Katara, as they sat down to their habitual tea together.

“How long?” he replied, his voice clipped.

“How long what?”

“How long has this been going on?”

“A while.”

Zuko slammed his cup onto the table, rattling the teapot.

“Damn it Katara! Why didn’t you tell me!” She could see the anger bubbling below the surface, so reminiscent of his early years.

“Because you’d do something like you did now! And then they’d whisper about something completely different…”

“Huh?”

“You’re… you’re being over protective Zuko. People are staring.”

“Would you mind that very much? If they talked… about that?” he asked, golden eyes hiding something, staring intently into hers as if he were asking something more than his words. Katara swallowed, trying to suppress the fluttering in her chest as she considered what he meant.

“I…I don’t mind them talking about… true things… but unfounded rumours? I just.. I just want to be taken seriously in my own right! Not as the Avatar’s ex girlfriend or as the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe… ” _or the Fire Lord’s love interest_ , she added in her mind. She shook her head - her imagination was running away with her. Zuko probably didn’t see her in that way anyway. “I want to be known for what I’ve done and achieved… for what I’m doing here. Is that so much to ask?” she finished quietly, squashing all other thoughts.

Zuko nodded and looked away and took a long sip of his tea, clearly bracing himself for something.

“I think you’re the only one I could trust with this, and you’ve done amazingly. I’ve found somebody else you know? You can start training them up. Because, well, I don’t know if you’d like this, and if you’d rather stay doing this then the tea shop is yours, I hope you know that, but I was thinking we should have a Southern Water Tribe ambassador in the Caldera… You’re too good for the tea shop. No. Wait. That’s not what I meant! I mean that you’re really clever and I think you could really help a lot of people if you were in the international conferences… rather than here. But you can be here, if that’s what you’d like! Just if you wanted to be the ambassador, well, the job is yours as far as I’m concerned,” jumbled Zuko in an effort to get all the words out as quickly as possible. “A-and you wouldn’t need to deal with the likes of _him_ ,” he added, glaring at the door.

Katara looked stunned but not disappointed. “I… I’d need to ask my dad if he’ll have me as an ambassador…” started Katara, before spotting the sheepish grin on Zuko’s face.

“I may have aired the idea to him and he was supportive if… if that’s what you would like…” he said, now visibly excited and fidgeting while he waited for her response.

Katara bit her lip.

“I… I need to think about it Zuko. Its…its an amazing offer… but I - I know what its like to do politics… the Northern Tribe, parts of the Earth Kingdom… they don’t like a woman, let alone me! I don’t know whether they’d even listen to what I have to say. They never did when I travelled with Aang. And you saw how they treat me even here…I’m an exotic whore in their minds…”

“Katara,” Zuko cut her off, reaching out uncharacteristically and grabbing her hand. His voice sounded strained. “You wouldn’t be following anybody. Not like when you were with Aang. You’re stronger than that, you can make a difference - I just know it! Like the other year when you helped the Earth Kingdom village relocate before the storms? Or when you stood up against the remnants of the Rough Rhinos?”

“You know about that? Aang wasn’t too happy…”

“I’ve been watching. That’s why I know you’d be so good as ambassador. The Avatar isn’t the only voice of reason you know?”

Katara felt tears prickling behind her eyes. Yes. She wouldn’t give up without a fight. People needed her, and she would show them just like she showed Pakku - you don’t say no to Master Katara. She nodded squeezing Zuko’s hand.

“I’ll do it.”

The smile that split Zuko’s face was stunning.

“You’ve made me very happy Katara,” he said shyly. “I’ll get your replacement here in at once so you can show them the ropes!

* * *

 

The replacement happened to be the daughter of one of Iorh’s great Pai Sho friends and, Katara suspected, a member of the White Lotus herself. Katara had seen her around various times and apparently her father had taught her much about tea since she was young. Although her eyes were golden, her lineaments were firmly Earth Kingdom - an interesting mix, and one that would raise probably more eyebrows that Katara being behind the counter.

The girl was quick, though, as seemed to defuse situations calmly… and absolutely loved tea. When she first arrived she’d been in wonder at all the stacks of tea in the back, lovingly handling the jar she needed. Katara was satisfied. The girl would be a far better fit than herself.

And so Katara started spending more time in the Palace, taking on some of her new roles but still checking on the tea shop. While she wasn’t there Zuko stopped going for tea as he did habitually, and would instead pluck her from her study and take her to get their usual daily tea after closing hours. With no expert tea maker they took it in turns to comparatively butcher Iroh’s stock, but the bitterness was always ironed out with the company.

One day Zuko arrived at Katara’s study to find a note on her desk:

_Finished early and have gone to help at the Jasmine Dragon. I’ll wait for you there._

Zuko smiled, running a finger over the characters in her handwriting and stuffing it in his pocket before hurrying out the door.

* * *

 

Katara had indeed finished early that day and had gone to the Jasmine Dragon to see if any help was needed. As they packed up she told them she would stay, and idly busied herself cleaning the kitchen area. It would just mean that the boy they hired to do it would have an easier job the next day.

She came across one of the hanging patterns that decorated the back area - for, when the worker is happy, the customer is happy, said Uncle Iroh - and pushed it aside to dust behind it. The wooden panel it covered, however, made her stop in her tracks. There were small holes cut into it.

To most people they would be oddly carefully cut but otherwise random - to her they marked home. It was a Southern constellation, that of the warrior ‘who cuts though what we wish for to bring us what we need’. The provider of food for the body and love for the soul, unaffected by whims and passing fashions.

Katara looked around nervously before sticking a finger into one of the holes and curling it so she could pull at the panel. It swung outwards to reveal a small cupboard she’d never seen before. There were jars full of tea which Katara gingerly picked up and smelled. Ah. Zuko’s favourite Jasmine blend! That’s where it was hidden!

As she dislodged them a scroll appeared behind. She took it out and unrolled it, immediately recognising Iroh’s neat characters.

 

_Dear Katara,_

_If I am right then it is you who will be reading this! I hope my nephew has asked you to take over the running of the Jasmine Dragon and that you have accepted that request. I also hope he has finally gathered the courage to ask you to be ambassador of your Tribe to the Fire Nation. It won’t take him long to get the preparations done - he’s planned them all long ago!_

_I write to you because I know that my time in the material world is coming to an end and that soon my spirit will live only in the spirit world. I have been to the spirit world various times and I am happy to be residing there soon._

_However, regrettably, there are things I did not manage to finish in my time in the material world._

_Firstly, I failed in helping Zuko move past the failures of the family he was born into and building his own. I wish I could be there when he finally finds that happiness which he so dearly needs._

_Secondly, I failed in helping you, my dear, find a place to belong. You have come to me in joy and sorrow over the years and you have not been ready to understand where it is you want to be. I do not want to see you pushed around by anybody, I want you do be the strong and influential woman you were born to be._

_I have come to the conclusion that even though you are Water Tribe through and through, perhaps your past does not define your future. I beg of you to resist the traditions of your sister tribe and marry only for love, or not at all. My dear, you deserve only the best in your life._

_However, I have also come to realise that perhaps over the years a spark that I first saw ignited in my nephew in Ba Sing Se during the War has grown to over take his heart, and I wonder whether a similar phenomenon has taken place in yours. I beg you to consider if you could ever call the Fire Nation home, for I know the Fire Lord would open his arms to you if he did not fear your feelings contrary._

_It would not be an easy road, know that, for much prejudice remains within the Nation, but the two of you somehow make the impossible happen._

_I have hidden Zuko’s favourite tea here, no doubt you have been looking for it. You can wait until the next shipment comes in, but if you think my proposition could work, then make him this tea. He associates it with love and warmth - I have made sure of that over the years - and it will erase some of his self doubt, for he still carries heavy burdens upon his shoulders._

_Katara, I would have loved to see the two of you together. If these are just ramblings of a dying old man then I pray leave these words be, but if they ring truth then I beg of you to give it a chance. Make his tea, let him know you’re willing to try._

_Until we meet again my Master Waterbender,_

_Uncle._

 

Katara wiped the tears from her cheeks as she read his words. Half of her rejected the notion of her and Zuko - Iroh always was quite eccentric and a notorious matchmaker!

And yet…

And yet…

It could work. They were a team. She knew he respected her to do what she needed to do and would help her in any way he could - as would she for him. Their tempers mellowed with age they no longer exploded at one another, but instead had an easygoing relationship…

Except they had tea. Every day. Somehow they held hands more and more often. She would count down the hours till she could see him again…

And the other week when they had mentioned roomers… or how she liked the small of his study when she went to collect him for tea… or how she remembered every flower he’d picked for her from his mother’s garden…

Katara was frozen the spot, heart hammering.

Would she just become the Fire Lord’s girlfriend like she had been The Avatar’s?

No. She would be ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe still. She would be Master Katara.

And if she became Fire Lady? She blushed to be thinking so far in advance, but followed the thought nonetheless.

If she became Fire Lady she would be sat with Zuko at all meetings, she would be part of negotiations and talks. One must convince both the Fire Lord and Lady before treaties are signed - she knew that already - and she did not believe Zuko would expect her to just be quiet.

“Katara?” came Zuko’s raspy voice from the front of the shop, almost as if she had summoned him with her thoughts. Her heart leapt to her throat and she had to remember to breathe. Well… that was a pretty telltale sign

“One second, I’ll be right out,” she called back, taking a deep breath and picking up one of Iroh’s hidden jars.

 


End file.
